Literary Festival Offers Full Day Of Events
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Amy Patrick (pen name for Water Valley native Amy Carlisle Deluca) will open the inaugural Water Valley Literary Festival with a young adult panel.
By Chris Goodwin
Director
Water Valley Main Street Association
The inaugural Water Valley Literary Festival will kick off in Bozarts Gallery at 9 a.m. on Saturday, September 27, with a panel featuring Amy Carlisle Deluca and Tonja Murphy. Deluca, a Water Valley native who writes under the pen name Amy Patrick, has published more than three dozen books in genres ranging from fantasy and science fiction to murder mystery. Jackson resident Tonja Murphy is the author of 12 books, including Maria’s Brave Walk Home and Blessed Thirteen: Lessons from A Ladybug.
Deluca’s publishing career began in 2015 with Hidden Deep, the first in a series of Young Adult romantasy (a genre blending romance and fantasy) novels that would eventually grow to ten, plus an accompanying novella. Those early works draw heavily on Deluca’s Water Valley upbringing and are even set in the fictional town of Deep River, Mississippi.
In the decade since the publication of Hidden Deep, Deluca has sold nearly one million books, both printed copies and e-books.
A former news reporter, Deluca narrates her own audiobooks. Although she now lives in Rhode Island with her family, Deluca’s north Mississippi roots stretch back for generations.
“My great grandfather Joseph Benjamin Carlisle was section foreman for the Illinois Central and came to Water Valley because of the railroad being located here,” said Deluca. “His son Richard Carlisle—my grandfather—lost his life in 1930 in an accident while working on the railroad. His widow, my grandmother Vashti, was born near the Prophet Bridge boat ramp, and her family moved to a house near Campground School, where she was a member of their first graduating class.”
Deluca’s father Rick Carlisle was elected Yalobusha County Prosecutor in 1983, then went on to work 31 years at the University of Mississippi School of Law. He lives at Campground near the house where his father grew up.
Author Tonja Murphy of Jackson will join Patrick for the kickoff session.
Tonja Murphy is the author of the novel The Lost Coin, a short story collection Icing on the Cupcake, and most recently the devotional His Bread for Me. In addition to her writing career, Murphy works as the community engagement director for the Mississippi Book Festival. In that role she leads Turn the Page, a statewide initiative that connects students with award-winning authors through school visits, book giveaways, and creative writing activities. She also has a key role in producing the festival’s signature KidNote program, which reaches thousands of students across Mississippi each year.
“I believe in creating spaces where young people can see themselves in stories and believe in their voices,” Murphy said. “I try to bridge the gap between literature and lived experience, shaping a new generation of engaged readers and confident storytellers.”
The Water Valley Literary Festival is free of charge and open to the public. Following the kickoff YA panel, other presentations will include Writing Water Valley History with Calvin Hawkins, an examination of Water Valley native Hubert Creekmore’s literary life featuring his niece Mary Alice Welty White, a lunchtime conversation with New Orleans author and journalist Robert Fieseler, a fiction panel featuring Exodus Oktavia Brownlow, Margaret-Love Denman, and Sean Ennis, and a Writing Biography panel with E. Stanly Godbold.
A reception at 5 p.m. will close the festival, which is sponsored by the Hubert Creekmore Literary Society in partnership with the Water Valley Main Street Association, Blackmur Memorial Library, Violet Valley Bookstore, and Cool Dog Sound, with financial support from the Mississippi Humanities Council.
Hawkins Is Speaker At Festival
By Joe Gurner
Library Director Blackmur Library
Calvin Hawkins is shown with his latest book, Good Ole Davidson, which focuses on the history of the Davidson School in Water Valley.
As part of the inaugural Water Valley Literary Festival, local historian, author and educator Calvin Hawkins will present a program focusing on his documenting of the African American history of Yalobusha County.
Hawkins is the author of two books – Under The Dusty Sand, and Good Ole Davidson. Under The Dusty Sand takes a broad view of the African American history of Yalobusha County through a number of different lenses – local churches, schools, businesses – complete with a large number of photos and material about the people and institutions who have left a mark on the county and beyond.
Good Ole Davidson, his latest book, drills down on the history of Davidson School – which was located on Calhoun Street in Water Valley. It traces the history of the school from its origins as the Water Valley Colored School through its evolution into Davidson School and its impact on the students who attended.
Both books are currently available on Amazon.
Hawkins is a Water Valley native and graduated from Water Valley High School in 1990. He went on to earn degrees from Mississippi State University and Liberty University.
The Water Valley Literary Festival, presented by the Hubert Creekmore Literary Society, will be Saturday at Bozarts Gallery on Main Street in Water Valley. The festival begins at 9 a.m. and Hawkins’ program will begin at 10 a.m. and last about 45 minutes with a brief question and answer session following. The all-day literary festival is free and open to the public.
For more info on the Literary festival, search for the Hubert Creekmore Literary Society on Facebook or go to the organization’s website at creekmorelit.com.
